X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a popular superhero film that was released in 2009. This movie is based on the Marvel Comics character Wolverine and is the fourth installment in the X-Men film series. It also serves as a prequel to the first X-Men movie that came out in 2000. The film was directed by Gavin Hood and produced by Hugh Jackman, who also played the main character, Wolverine. The story of the film focuses on Wolverine’s early life, his time with a secret group called Team X, and how his skeleton was bonded with a strong metal called adamantium during the Weapon X program.
The film opened at number one at the North American box office and earned $179 million in the United States and Canada, with a total worldwide gross of $373.1 million. Two follow-up films, The Wolverine (2013) and Logan (2017), were later released. Ryan Reynolds would go on to star as a new version of his character Wade Wilson in Deadpool (2016). Jackman and Reynolds would later team up again in the 2024 film Deadpool & Wolverine.
Where was “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” Filmed?
The movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine was filmed in several locations across different countries. The film’s production involved shooting in British Columbia, Canada; New South Wales, Australia; and New Zealand. Each location added its own unique touch to the scenes in the movie. The filming began in January 2008 and continued until May 2008. The movie faced some challenges during its production, such as delays due to weather, changes in the script, and conflicts between the director and the film’s producers. However, despite these difficulties, the movie was completed and released on May 1, 2009.
Australia
The main base for the movie was Fox Studios in Sydney, New South Wales. This is where the childhood home of young James, who later becomes Wolverine, was built. After a tragic event where James discovers the truth about his father, he and his brother Victor escape through Pine Grove on Loch Avenue, which is located in Sydney’s Centennial Park.
As the brothers grow older, they are shown fighting in many wars. One of these wars, the ‘D-Day landing,’ was filmed on Blacksmiths Beach, located 15 miles south of Newcastle, north of Sydney. The beach scenes gave a realistic touch to the battle moments in the movie.
The scenes set in ‘Vietnam,’ where James and Victor face a firing squad, were filmed at the old Callan Park Hospital in Rozelle, Sydney. This location was a former asylum, now part of the Sydney College of the Arts. The historical look of the place added depth to the prison scenes in the movie.
Canada
For the scenes where the mutant team raids ‘Nigeria’ to find a mysterious meteorite, the filming took place in Canada. The tall ‘Lagos’ building shown in the movie is actually the Buchanan Tower on the campus of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. The Canadian Rockies, which are shown as Wolverine’s retreat, were filmed in New Zealand, but a scene where Kayla Silverfox defuses a tense situation on a road was actually filmed in Canada’s Stanley Park, north of downtown Vancouver.
The school from which Victor abducts young Scott Summers was filmed at Lord Byng Secondary School in Vancouver. Although the school’s interior scenes, with all their destruction, were recreated in the studio, the exterior shots were taken at this real school.
New Zealand
New Zealand’s South Island provided some of the most stunning backdrops for the movie. The remote cabin where Wolverine, now known as Logan, tries to live a peaceful life was built on Deer Park Heights, south of Queenstown. The mountains seen behind the cabin are part of the Remarkables range, a popular ski resort. The scene where Logan’s farmhouse is attacked was filmed on the Glenorchy-Paradise Road in Glenorchy, at the head of Lake Wakatipu. This area had also been used in other famous movies like The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia.
The impressive ‘Alkali Lake’ facility, where Logan undergoes the procedure to get his adamantium skeleton, was filmed at Stirling Falls in Milford Sound, New Zealand. The falls, three times the height of Niagara Falls, provide a dramatic and remote setting for the film’s key moments.
Additional Filming Locations
Other important scenes were filmed at Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour, which was used to represent Pennsylvania’s ‘Three Mile Island’ nuclear complex. This location, with its historical and industrial background, added authenticity to the scenes where mutants are held captive.
There were also brief shots of the real New Orleans in the movie. These included scenes of doubles riding bikes across the Crescent City Connection bridge and a glimpse of Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. However, the alley where Victor kills Wraith and extracts a DNA sample was actually a studio set, not a real New Orleans location.
Lastly, the cameo appearance of Professor Xavier, played by Patrick Stewart, was filmed in London, UK. This added yet another international location to the list of places where X-Men Origins: Wolverine was shot.
Official Trailer
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Q: Where was X-Men Origins: Wolverine filmed?
A: X-Men Origins: Wolverine was filmed in several locations across Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Major scenes were shot in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and parts of New Zealand’s South Island. Some scenes were also filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Q: When was X-Men Origins: Wolverine filmed?
A: Filming for X-Men Origins: Wolverine took place from January 2008 to May 2008. The production faced several challenges during this period, including weather delays and ongoing changes to the script.
Q: What are some of the key filming locations in Australia?
A: In Australia, key filming locations include Fox Studios in Sydney, where the childhood home of Wolverine was built. The D-Day landing scene was filmed at Blacksmiths Beach, south of Newcastle, and other scenes were shot in Centennial Park, Sydney.
Q: What New Zealand locations were used in the movie?
A: In New Zealand, the cabin where Wolverine retreats was built on Deer Park Heights, near Queenstown, on the South Island. The scene with the stunning mountain backdrop was filmed in the Remarkables mountain range. Stirling Falls in Milford Sound was another significant location used for filming.
Q: When was X-Men Origins: Wolverine released?
A:X-Men Origins: Wolverine was released on May 1, 2009. Despite some production challenges, the film opened at the top of the box office and became a significant addition to the X-Men film series.
